A Mind of Darkness
by Direwolfpup
Summary: "My name was Elizabeth and I was a trained and professional assassin. That was all I knew about myself. That and the fact I was in this lifeless, miserable, freezing, machine box-lift type thing."
1. Chapter 1

I woke to darkness. Darkness and the deafening screech of metal on metal. I stood up and felt myself around my prison, a stone cold, metal box that ever so slowly moved upwards. Gears whirled and pulleys strained as I tried to find an opening to no avail. I finally slumped back down in one of the corners, wrapping my arms around my legs, waiting for the dark, depressing lift to reach its destination.

My name was Elizabeth and I was a trained and professional assassin. That was all I knew about myself. That and the fact I was in this lifeless, miserable, freezing, machine box-lift type thing. Despite being in an unknown location with no memories, my instinct told me to relax and stay calm, something itched in the back of my mind and I knew I had been in worse situations before. Though I couldn't remember them I knew I had. Anyway I would figure things out once this awful thing stopped and the smell of oil, rot and mould no longer buffered me.

It felt like I was there for hours. I discovered that my hair was held up in a messy bun by a sharp, decorated pin that was most probably poisonous. I had a long sword, with no sheath, hanging of my belt and four daggers hidden in secret sheaths in my sleeves and shoes. I strained my mind trying to remember anything but eventually gave up when I felt pounding on the inside of my skull instead. I gave a frustrated sigh and drummed my fingers against the floor of the box. I guess all good things would reveal themselves in time.

With a sudden jolt and one last screech the box came to a halt. Sunlight filtered through a crack at the top and I could hear voices, male voices. I tilted my head to the side and looked up, patiently waiting for the outside world to be revealed to me.

"No noise. . . Greenie. . . Dead . . ." Came a muffled voice from outside.

Slowly the crack in the ceiling grew larger and larger, with a loud metallic complaint as if it was being forced open. I closed my eyes and blinked a few times, my eyes adjusting to the new blinding light. I could make out figures above me and the voices became clearer.

"It's a girl?!" came another voice and the word girl was murmured through the crowd.

"Thank you mister captain obvious," I shouted, standing up and brushing myself down.

I was dressed in black. Black leggings, trench coat, fitted shirt and knee high boots, even the strands of my hair that I could see, were black, though I had white skin. When I looked back up again my eyes had adjusted to the sunlight and I could make out the faces above me. All of them were male. Boys in fact. Between the ages of fourteen and nineteen, one even looked to be about twelve.

"Dibs," shouted one immediately.

"How old is she?" shouted another.

"A girl are you sure?"

"She's mine!"

"What's her Name?"

"Hasn't anybody realized she has a shuck'n sword?"

I was confused by their reaction. It was as if they _had never_ seen a girl before.

Eventually the crowd quietened as an older African-American boy stepped through the crowd, he was obviously the leader.

"No one touches the girl! If you do be expecting a visit to the maze!" he yelled, his voice was clear and loud and seemed to travel to the four corners of the earth. There were a few mumbled complaints and I looked down at my waist to where my sword was hanging. If anybody tried to touch me they wouldn't be paying a visit to this maze, they would be paying a visit to and staying in hell.

Someone lowered a long thick rope into the box, a loop tied at the bottom. I looked it up and down and scoffed. I walked around the rope to the wall of the box as confused murmurs broke out above me. When I reached the wall I moved back again before running forward leaping and reaching up, my hand catching at the top. I used my momentum to gracefully pull myself up, landing on my feet outside of the coldness of the box. I was. . . I had no idea where I was.

"Welcome to the glade girlie," came the voice of the leader.

"The glade," I muttered, rolling the word around on my tongue.

Then memories hit me, like a huge iron fist. I knew why I was here. I was here to assassinate three gladers, if I didn't. . .

. . . WICKED would kill me.


	2. Chapter 2

I knew nothing about WICKED except that they were the reason to why I was, they had created this place and that they would kill me if I failed. I was here as a variable. I knew nothing else of my past. Nothing. It was as if someone had just came and plucked my memories away from me, like books on a bookshelf. I shook myself back into reality. I spun around in a slow circle to take in my surroundings. There were about fifty boys, all of them gawking and pointing at me. They wore average clothes that were soaked in sweat and dirt stained. There were different races, sizes, hair and eye colours and as I pointed out before different ages. One even reached out and poked me before quickly withdrawing his hand as I death stared him down.

The group of boys and I stood in a large courtyard, four grey stone walls surrounded us in a square, patches of ivy decorating them. They had be hundreds of feet high and there was a split, as tall as the walls themselves, separating the walls. Beyond them I could see passages and corridors. That must have been the maze. The floor of the courtyard was made of granite blocks, most were cracked and had weeds and grasses growing from them. A wooden building stood near one of the corners and another corner held gardens and orchards. On the other side of where I stood I could see wooden pens holding livestock and across from those were a thicket of trees. The place smelt like a farm, manure and animals but at the same time there was something re-freshing about the smell. The sky was blue and cloudless but despite the brightness of the day the sun was no-where in site. Not far away from me stood a flag pole, a multi coloured flag at the top. A lonely wooden bench stood next to it.

As I took in my surroundings I began forming a fake personality in my head. If I was here to assassinate three gladers I needed to earn their trust, not just my three future victims but everyone's. I obviously needed the others to believe it wasn't me who had killed them once I did so otherwise I would have fifty boys after my head. I was going to have to go for sweet and innocent even though I kinda just ruined that a little because of my stunt in the box. I changed my posture so I looked small, scared and shaken, widening my eyes and letting out a small whimper. I was a very, very good actor.

The leader of the group came forward, he had short cropped hair and was clean shaven but beside the scowl he didn't look menacing. I took a step back anyway, as if I was scared by him, glancing around as if looking for a way to escape.

"It's a long story," he said gesturing around, "Tomorrow we'll be taking you on the tour, dammit I'm terrible at this, why the shuck did Nick have to go into the maze today?" a burly Asian boy stepped forward as if to answer but the leader held out his hand to silence any words that were going to come from him. "Name's Alby," he said finally, holding out his hand.

I continued playing the scared innocent girl and backed away. Seeing a gap in the crowd I turned and ran, the boys gave chase. They shouted and screamed, jeering and yelling. I ran towards the thicket of trees but I didn't run as fast as I knew I could. I wanted to be caught. And I was. Strong muscular arms wrapped themselves around me and I let out a false scream, kicking and struggling to the worst of my ability.

"Cool it girlie," said my captor.

"Put her down Minho!" shouted Alby in response.

Minho put me down but didn't let go of me.

"Get back to work!" Alby shouted at the rest of the boys who had once again formed a circle around me.

There was grumbling and some loud complaints but slowly the crowd started filtering out until only Minho, Alby, a blonde boy and I were left.

"Look girlie were not going to hurt you," Alby said as I let out another whimper, "We ain't here to kill you or whatever, Okay. I understand if you're scared but you need to trust us."

I slowly nodded my head and replied, a barely audible whisper which I knew the three heard, "I'll trust you If you promise to trust me." My words stunned the boys but Alby nodded.

"Let go of her Minho," Alby said.

Minho slowly released his grasp on me and I stumbled away from him. I turned to face the boys and especially studied Minho. I knew then that he was one of my victims.


	3. Chapter 3

I didn't feel guilty knowing I had to kill him. I didn't feel remorse or sadness. I simply felt intrigued, intrigued as to who this person was and why I needed to kill him. I needed him to trust me, to become attached to me and all the while I couldn't become attached to him. It should be easy to get him close to me - even to love me - as I seemed to be the only girl. Despite these thoughts travelling through my head and my studying of Minho I kept my scared and nervous posture.

A kid, 'bout fifteen, came rushing through the trees. He had a large ugly nose, black hair and a scrawny frame. As he us he doubled over, placing his hands on his knees, breathing heavily.

"What is it Gally?" snapped Alby.

The boy, Gally, straightened up and without as much as a glance in my direction he spoke, "It's Chris. Nick carried him back through the maze." There was a pause as everybody's face visibly paled, the words sinking in. "He was stung."

The weight of his words seemed to settle on everyone like the weight of the world. I didn't know Chris nor did I know Nick or what being stung meant but it was obviously very bad. Very, very bad. Suddenly Alby snapped into action.

"Minho, Newt! Stay with the girl! DO NOT LET HER OUT OF YOUR SIGHT!"

With that he grabbed Gally's shirt and dragged him off out of the thicket of tree's and toward the wooden building. I stared of after them as Minho and Newt shook themselves out of shock.

"Names Newt," said the blonde boy, holding out a hand.

I backed away again.

"Whoa girlie." Said Minho, "you can trust us but if you take off again I can't ensure your safety with everyone else."

I whimpered again but moved forward. I looked at Minho, straight in the eyes as if putting all my trust in him. At least I wanted him to think I was. It would be easier for him to trust me if he thought I trusted him.

"What's your name?" prompted Newt.

"Elizabeth," I answered.

"Do you know how to use that?" he asked, pointing down at my sword.

Hell yeah I could! Probably kill a whole army freak'n blindfolded!

I shook my head. Newt nodded, digesting the false information. There was an earth splitting scream and I instinctively covered my ears with my hands.

"What was that?" I shouted.

"Chris," sighed Newt.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked, real curiosity filling my eyes.

"Got stung." Bluntly answered Minho.

"By what?" I asked again.

Both boy's looked at me and grimaced.

"Can't tell ya that yet. Have to wait until the tour tomorrow." Minho said.

On the inside I wanted answers and I wanted them now. The more I knew about this place and the people in it the easier it would be for me to do my dirty work. On the outside, though, I just let out a small "Oh".

"Where she gonna sleep." Newt asked Minho, "We can't let her sleep with everyone else."

"She can most defiantly sleep with me," replied Minho, looking me up and down and by the expression on his face he was obviously liking what he saw.

Newt glared at him but I let out a small laugh surprising both of them. But his statement made me think. What did I look like? How old was I? I voiced my questions and Minho happily answered.

"Sixteen. Thick jet black hair and green eyes. Asian background. Reasonably slim but curvy in the right places." His last his last comment earnt a grimace from Newt but another giggle from me even though I really wanted to step out and slap him. Hard. In the face. With a freak'n chair. Change that actually, a table.

"C'mon." said Newt as another scream pierced the peaceful serenity, "let's get her some food."


	4. Chapter 4

I sat with Newt, my back against a tree that stood just outside of the main thicket of tree's so that we could see the glade. Minho had gone to get food. I watched the gladers going about their work, conversing with each other quietly, glancing at me, some even had the courage to check me out. I had to drop the scared, sweet, innocent girl I was pretending to be. If I kept up this fake personality I knew one of the gladers would soon try to seduce me and they'd get a shock if the apparent trustworthy, shy girl was able to seriously injure without so much as a second thought. Also the gladers would think twice before trying to attack a girl who knew how to attack them back. Yes, I would keep my normal personality.

"I lied," I said, turning to face Newt.

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"When you asked if I could use the sword and I said no. Well I lied. I can use it."

"I know you're scared and all but you don't need to try and make yourself look strong, I'll protect you, okay. If you're not scared than you're not human." he answered.

I laughed on the inside, I was a lot of things but scared wasn't one of them.

I heard a metallic clicking above me and nimbly got to my feet, scanning the branches above me. I saw a flash of silver and red light before the thing disappeared around the trunk. I moved after it cautiously, but Newt grabbed my wrist, preventing me from following it.

"It's just one of them shuck beetle Blades, don't worry about it." He told me.

"What's a shuck beetle blade?" I asked, craning my neck, trying to catch a glimpse of the thing.

Newt laughed and I gave him one of my death stares, he stopped laughing and started giving me information instead.

"First of all, shuck is glader slang, not part of the name of a beetle blade. Second of all, a beetle blade is a small metal creature we think the creators use to spy on us, won't hurt ya unless you're stupid enough to go near it. And creators are the people who we think put us in the maze."

Newt still had hold of my wrist so I grabbed his wrist back and pulled him up so he was standing next to me.

"Wha-" he began but he stopped mid word as I began making my way around the tree, slowly and warily.

On the other side of the trunk was the beetle blade. It was like a robotic gecko but it was much larger than that of a real gecko. It had huge round red eyes that seemed to be watching me. I studied it, watching its reaction towards me, watching closely what it did. I threw some rocks, not hitting it, just throwing them at the ground below it, throwing them closer each time. I watched its reaction to each rock, it didn't really move until I threw the last one, that one landed at the base of the tree it was on. That was when it let out a series of metallic clicks and suddenly all the tree's surrounding us were filled with beetle blades. I backed away slowly, making no sudden movements, Newt did the same, we didn't stop moving until we reached the flag pole, where we sat down on the wooden bench next to it.

"What the shuck where you thinking?" questioned Newt, I smiled in reply.

"I was learning. I now know that beetle blades rely on each other to attack and yes, will only attack if you're stupid enough to go near it and make sudden or threatening movements towards it."

"If we could somehow sever the communication between them," I continued, "Then it would be easy to destroy them."

His eyes widened, "How do you know all that? I'm not even sure of that information myself." I smiled before replying with, "Was it a beetle blade that stung Chris?" Newt shook his head.

"The Beetle blades have only attacked one person in all the time I've been here, and yes as you observed before they did it together. The thing that stung Chris is called a griever, I'll be showing you that tomorrow on the tour."

It was getting darker when Minho finally came back with a couple of sandwiches and some apples. I took a sandwich from him as he sat down next to us. I sniffed at it and studied it carefully, even going to lengths of removing the top piece of bread to see the ingredients. My suspicions were confirmed.

"It's not poisonous." Said Minho through a mouthful of his sandwich.

"Well I hope not but that's not the problem," I replied holding the sandwich out in front of me, a complete look of disgust on my face.

"What is it then?" he asked, almost in sync with Newt.

"Ham," I answered, "I'm vegetarian."

How ironic. The Assassin was an animal lover.

"What!" They exclaimed, "Well ya not gonna be a slicer then." I didn't know what a slicer was but I had a relatively good idea of it.

I gave the sandwich to Minho and bit into an apple instead. We sat in silence for a while, I was enjoying my apple and observing the glade, storing any significant or insignificant detail in my memory for later use. Suddenly, for the second time today, the evening was pierced but not by a scream, by a loud boom. The walls were moving.


	5. Chapter 5

The whole earth shook as the large stone walls, which looked like they had been here since the dawn of time, began to move with a thundering grumble.

I was on my feet before Newt and Minho could say 'shuck', and was dashing towards the walls. Amazed that such giant, solid structures were moving, closing the large openings between each of them.

Eventually I stopped running and stood 10 feet from the moving walls. Despite the loud thunderous boom that made my eardrums explodes I could still hear Newt and Minho's footfalls behind me. They soon stood next to me, Minho hunched over placing his hands on his knees to regain his breath while Newt stood panting.

I watched silently as a million questions bubbled inside me and the walls closed with one last thunderous boom.

"Does it do that same time everynight? Does it open back up in the morning? Or next week? Is there a pattern to this? Why does it close? What is out there?" I asked calmly, walking the perimeter of the glade, sure to pay close attention to the walls in case of anything odd.

"You're on a roll aren't you she-bean? Already walking around a spitting out questions like you own the shuck place?" replied Minho.

I smiled and slowly spun around to face him.

"You will call me by name or I'll personally tape your mouth shut. Do I make myself clear?" I said sweetly.

Minho smiled back and decided it would be okay to test the boundaries.

"Yes she-bean."

I laughed at his terrible decision.

In one quick, fluent, movement I whipped my dagger out from my sleeve and pressed the tip of the blade right under his chin until it drew dark red blood.

"My name," I informed him, still smiling, "Is Elizabeth. Do I make myself clear?"

I couldn't help but take pleasure in the terror that shone in his eyes even though he did his best to look like my dagger and threats didn't bother him. I tilted my head to the side watching, his blood drip down the dagger blade. Why didn't I just kill him now…

"Rule number 1!" came a shout besides me tearing me from my thoughts as hands forced me away from Minho, "Never harm another glader!"

I sweetly smiled at Minho as I returned my dagger to its place in my sleeve. I pulled my eyes away from him and turned to face Newt, the source of the disruption.

"Me! Harm another glader! Are you out of you mind? I'm only a young defenceless girl!" I told him, placing a hand on my chest and pretending to act offended and astonished.

I heard Minho scoff behind me.

Newt sternly glared down at me and I smiled up at him. I was shorter than him and Minho but not by too much. In fact I estimate myself to be about 5' 8. In the end Newt just sighed and broke eye contact.

"Besides are you going to answer my questions or do I have to climb that wall and answer them for myself?" I asked.

Newt just sighed again before looking up into the distance and answering.

"Every day the walls open and they close. Always open at the same time, always close at the same time. Never been a moment late or early. The rest I'll tell you tomorrow on the tour because the box came late and it's too late to explain everything seeing how we probably need to call a gathering before the end of the night to discuss you."

I just shrugged and continued walking but deep down I was shaken because something clicked just now and suddenly I knew…

Newt was my second victim.

What a pain that was. He was good guy. Truth be told Minho was a good guy as well.

But I would kill them. I valued my life above theirs.

But I'd have to do it soon before I became too close to them.

Which I'm afraid is already happening.


	6. Chapter 6

I sat on a wooden chair with my legs crossed, casually throwing my sword in the air so it flipped a few times before catching it by the hilt and throwing it again. I was in a dimly lit wooden plank building the gladers called the homestead. A gathering-which was a meeting of all the keepers (who are leaders of different guilds)-had been called to discuss me.

It turns out Alby wasn't the leader, no this dude Nick was. Alby was second in command. Minho was keeper of the runners, a guild that mapped and ran the maze. Newt was a runner but he wasn't here because he wasn't a keeper. All of them were bickering like young children, giving me quite a nasty headache. The glances they shot me were ones of desire or hate or concern. What they said about me mainly matched they're expression.

"Throw her in the slammer! She could be a spy for the creators! I mean who else gets given weapons!" shouted keeper of the slicers, Winston.

"Or banish her in the maze!" suggested Gally who was keeper of the builders.

"Good that!" agreed a bulky guy, Michel, keeper of the baggers.

"She's a she-bean! Someone who is both new and has no shucking clue about what's going on! What she gonna do!" shouted frypan, keeper of the cooks.

"I don't care if she's a girl we should treat her the exact same as we treat everyone else!" yelled Alby.

Nick sat on his chair the wrong way, inspecting his finger nails. Why the hell couldn't this be a girl glade! Things would be so much more organised!

"Why'd they send a girl here anyways? I smell something fishy here." Another human being.

"Reproduction of course!" shouted someone else resulting in majority of the boys falling to the floor in fits of laughter.

"As long as I get to have her first!" shouted someone else.

I rolled my eyes.

"Oi!" shouted Nick suddenly standing up and moving his chair out of the way. The room fell silent.

"I believe that Alby has already established that no one touches the girl, do I believe correctly?" he shouted voice full of authority, eyes scanning the room making sure everyone understood and was listening. Alby nodded in agreement.

"Besides," he continued "If anyone is getting the girl its me." He gave a mischievous smile and winked at me while the group of keepers cheered and Alby put his face in his hands while Minho's face darkened.

I gave an evil smile. Was this how we were going to play the game?

I stood up and scanned the room, silence had fallen once again.

"Let's get a few things straight," I said sweetly, "My name is Elizabeth, not she-bean," I ran my finger over the sharp blade of my sword, drawing blood and watching it trickle down my hand, "Not only do I have and know how to use this sword, I have daggers as well, which I too, know how use, If you have any doubts, just ask Minho," all eyes flickered to Minho and if possible his face darkened even more.

"I know nothing of my past or of the world outside. I do not know of these creators you speak of, in fact I pretty much know nothing of what you speak of. Oh and also…" I began.

I pulled the pin out of my hair so that it fell like dark, silky waves down my back. The pin was dart shaped and Jade green in colour. I held it up high for all of them to see.

"This is poisonous," and with that I spun around violently and threw it.

With a loud thud it buried itself deep into the middle of the forehead of a portrait of a middle aged lady. As if to further prove my point of being poisonous, a dark green began oozing out of it.

I gracefully stalked over to the picture and with only one tug, pulled the dart out. I curtsied to my stunned audience and left the room. Not only could I not stand anymore of their pointless arguing, another vital piece of information had emerged from my memory…

Nick was my third and last victim…

And I needed to devise a way to kill him. Not only him but all of my victims…

Without being found out or killed myself.


	7. Chapter 7

I ran my finger along my dagger, occasionally throwing it up in the air before catching it again, while I waited for the meeting to come to an end. I was as far away from the homestead as possible, where the keepers idiotic bickering commenced, concealed under a shady tree whose branches grew low on the outskirts of what seemed to be a small forest. The sky had grown considerably darker but it was neither hot nor cold. The temperature was not the reason why I hid in the shadows of the tree, I did not seek to be cooler, I sought to feel hidden. I wasn't afraid and neither uncomfortable with the Gladers watching me but I loved to study others without them knowing of my presence. That's how I played my game. I came in unseen and quickly and quietly, like a cat, I dispatched my victim. I found it unbelievable that WICKED had shown me to every inhabitant of this place in broad daylight when they could've sent me up under the cover of night to murder the three Gladers. Instead now I had to fit in, earn trust and make 'friends'. I gave a cruel smile and looked across to the beetle blade i had seen out of the corner of my eye scuttle up next to me.

"Challenge accepted." I declared.

Because even though this was not what I preferred I was still the best actress and most accomplished assassin WICKED had. Seeing the outcome of this was going to be so much fun.

I looked back across to the beetle blade and threw my head back and laughed.

"Like what I told Newt?" I recalled with amusement.

'I was learning. I now know that beetle blades rely on each other to attack and yes, will only attack if you're stupid enough to go near it and make sudden or threatening movements towards it. If we could somehow sever the communication between them then it would be easy to destroy them.'

Beetle blades didn't need each other to attack, they had enough little concealed weapons to kill, and probably would only do so if ordered by WICKED. Beetle blades were their spies. Little mechanical creatures created and controlled by them. Allowing the creators to see, hear and follow us. Easy as pie.

The beetle blade didn't reply. Conversation was one thing it wasn't designed for.

I turned my head back to my weapon and continued to fiddle with it. When I was beginning to think that the wait was becoming tedious, figures emerged from the hut. They took at least one step out before turning their heads this way that and then again more frantically.

What the freak? Honestly if that was how the Gladers looked I could hide anywhere in this shuck place and not get found, assuming that is, that the strange turning of their heads meant they were looking for me, not doing some weird dance.

I lithely got to my feet, sheathed my dagger, and stalked over to them.

They spotted me almost immediately. They turned to each other and seemed to confer with Minho. Minho jogged over to me while the rest of the keepers dispersed.

I place my hands on my hips as he came to a stop in front of me.

"Well?" I asked, slightly impatient.

"You have to sleep in the slammer."

Slammer. I didn't like the sound of that.

"But," he continued, "You get to keep your weapons for 'self-defence,'" he said using finger quotation marks.

That was good news at least. It meant that they had to trust me or believed me to be defenceless without my weapons.

"If you use them against a Glader who hasn't harmed you then they will get taken away." He finalised.

I nodded.

The slammer was a concrete building with a single wooden door, a rusty lock preventing me from walking out, and a barred window. It was the Gladers equivalent to a jail. I was forced to sleep here under the charge of being a girl who could look after herself. Well being able to use weapons and threatening people. But hey… the two are basically the same thing!

The glade was dark now, night had fallen, though not completely silent. The snores of the Gladers and the occasional baying of an animal pierced the night, though I couldn't distinguish the two. Along with the screeching and moaning of what I presumed to be a large animal living in the maze. A griever. The word wriggled its way to the front of my mind like a worm. I shut my eyes and leaned back against the cold stone wall, next to a spindly legged chair, the only object in this rat infested room. I pulled my knees up against my chest and ignored the pesky little creatures. They stayed far away from me.

Chris screamed and another griever moan shook the night.

A smile played on my lips as I drifted off to sleep.

This was going to be so much fun.


	8. Chapter 8

I woke to a dark sky, but not the deep black of night, more of a dark grey. Dawn. The time I had set my mental alarm clock to. I was good with times and directions. Unfortunately I was also a light sleeper and the animals and snoring Gladers and scurrying rats meant I had had a very uncomfortable sleep. But it was my first night in the glade. I would soon block these sounds out as normal and be able to sleep peacefully.

It was light enough to see, though not very well. Bored, I grabbed the chair and pulled it in front of me, taking out my dagger and beginning to carve something into one of its legs while I waited to be released from my prison.

The sky was a much lighter grey and seemed to on the verge of breaking into the light blue of day when I finally heard loud footsteps approaching the door of the slammer. I calmly continued with my carving as I heard curses erupt from outside the door and the struggle as the Glader tried to unlock the stubborn rusty lock.

Click.

Success. With the lock dealt with, the door swung open and the Glader stepped into the room. I finally looked up from my work to see a stunned Alby.

"What are ya…? Ya can't do that!" he exclaimed.

"I have been told 'thou shall not hurt thy fellow Glader' not 'thou shall not whittle chair'." I replied returning to my work.

It was actually quite a beautiful piece. It was a slender young woman with prominent features who was engulfed in fire. She was clothed in a knee high dress which merged with the flames dancing around her. It wasn't supreme skill level and the face of the woman was in fact quite crude (I had taken a bit too much out of her left cheek). But it was still good.

Alby looked unimpressed both by my comment and my work. I slid my dagger back into its sheath and returned to my feet.

"Don't ya run of yet," he said as I stepped out of my cell. "There's somethin' I have to show ya."

He didn't say another word as he marched off, expecting me to follow.

He stopped upon reaching one of the grey stone walls, laden thick with ropey ivy. Red lights flashed here and there like the eyes of some ominous creature. I ignored them, simply accepting the weirdness of this place and the fact that the gladers would tell me all they knew in a matter of time. Alby moved forward and shoved his hands into the ivy, and like a curtain, parted it to reveal a grimy window. He stared intently at it as if waited for something to appear from the darkness I moved slightly closer. Looking. Waiting.

Like seeing the pale moon reveal itself from the cover of the clouds, the dark view became alight with a spectrum of colours. I gasped, fogging up the window for a split second.

"Out there's the Maze," Aby blankly stated as if he had recited this a billion times before. "Everything we do and everything we've done - revolves around the Maze. Every shuck'n second of every shuck'n day we spend, tryin' to solve somethin' that's has no shuck'n solution. This is why it's not to be messed with. Show ya how lucky ya are that them walls close every night. Show ya why you should never, never find yourself out there."

As if on que a figure, as strange in shape as it was in features, squirmed into view. Think Body of a slug, legs of a mechanical spider and for the head a foul combination of both. Now enlarge both height and width until it's the size of both a very large and fat cow. Ta-da! You get a griever!

The griever seethed forward then came to a sudden stop. Many, many beady black eyes fell in our direction. It gave a hideous scream and threw itself at the window with bone shattering force. I didn't even flinch.

Its body appeared to be fleshy and slimy and covered in long strands of spiky, black hair. The legs were equipped with many dangerous weapons, knives, a saw blade, sheers…  
…. And at the end of its revolting body grew a scorpion like tail that could curve under its body or over its head.

The griever was manic. Trying again and again to break the window, to enter the glade and feast on blood.

I turned to Alby expectantly, leaning against the window the griever was so furiously trying to shatter. Alby's brows knotted together and he turned to look me dead in the eye.

Now you know what bloody lurks in the Maze, you know this isn't joke time. You've been sent to the Glade, and we'll be expectin' ya to survive and help us, girl or not, to do what we've been sent here to do."

I raised an eyebrow and waited. He gave a frustrated sigh as I obviously didn't ask the question he had been expecting.

"Find our way out," he said. "Solve this shuck'n Maze and find our way home."


	9. Chapter 9

The food was nice.

Crunchy toast with gooey pouched eggs and juicy tomato, seasoned with pepper and salt.

If the food was nice life had to be good. Even if you were literally surrounded by blood thirsty monsters.

Minho, Newt and the other runners had left as soon as the walls roared open, so I had no time to have a luxurious chat with them, get to understand them, and plot their deaths. No one else bothered to chat with me, they were much too busy gawking at or ignoring me. I couldn't care less. It was nice, sitting alone under the shady tree eating delicious food.

The peace was not to last.

Leisurely strolling towards me was Nick, a mischievous grin plastered across his face.

"So greenie," he said coming to a stop in front of me before rolling back and forth on the balls of his feet, "How'd you like the view from our window?"

I stood up to face him.

"El-iz-a-beth," I sounded out slowly, "or is my name really so difficult that your tiny shuck brain is having a panic attack simply just thinking about it?" I calmly asked, turning my head slightly and faking a sympathetic look.

His smile grew even wider.

"I like you greenie,"

I interrupted him before he could utter another word, "I take it back," I said with a shake of my head and a sad sigh, "I over estimated you. There isn't even the tiniest of brains in that abnormally large head of yours."

"Fine," he said rolling his eyes, still grinning like a maniac. He suddenly gave an over exaggerated bow and cried, "would my lady Elizabeth, be so kind as to answer a question."

I took a step back – for all the unexpected things to expect, that was not what I expected.

He glanced a look upward, "That better?" he asked.

I winked before placing my hand across my chest in mock astonishment, "I would love to answer any question a gentleman as polite as you would dare ask."

He returned to feet, grey-blue eyes twinkling, "Did my lady Elizabeth find the view marvellous or otherwise?"

I smirked, returning to my usual self, "Your pet was adorable."

He stepped back, surprise and horror flickering across his features for a split second. Clearly out of all his unexpected things to expect – he did not expect that.

"Pet!" He shouted after me as I strode past him, "Adorable!"

"Cute and fluffy!" I called back, continuing to walk forward, "squidgy and huggable!"

"And I was the one with no brain," I heard him mutter before he seemingly shook himself out of his shock and called out to me, "Slow down my lady Elizabeth."

I smiled and stopped, waiting for him to catch up. When he did he offered me his arm.

"Would the lady Elizabeth agree to allow me to show her the wonderful sights of the glade?"

I slipped my arm through his, "I would be honoured."

And I finally understood why such a shuck face was the leader of the glade.

It would be simply disastrous if something were to happen to him.

Oh, the amount of chaos it would cause.

I smiled.


End file.
